


The Right Thing

by celeste9



Category: Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, First Meetings, M/M, Post-Star Wars: A New Hope, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-14
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-22 05:21:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9585221
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/celeste9/pseuds/celeste9
Summary: Luke focuses on the man he almost ran over. Black hair, scruffy, complexion a few shades darker than Luke’s, very easy to look at. Not that Luke’s noticing. Or maybe he is.He probably shouldn’t have let Wedge Antilles give him that moonshine.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [spookykingdomstarlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spookykingdomstarlight/gifts).



> Your letter made me realize I really want this ship? Hope you enjoy this little treat!

Luke isn’t paying attention when he nearly runs into the slim figure in front of him and he can hear Uncle Owen grumbling at him in his head, _stop running in the damn halls, Luke_ , only Uncle Owen is gone and can’t grumble at him anymore.

So Luke shakes the voice out of his head and focuses on the man he almost ran over. Black hair, scruffy, complexion a few shades darker than Luke’s, very easy to look at. Not that Luke’s noticing. Or maybe he is.

He probably shouldn’t have let Wedge Antilles give him that moonshine.

He says, “Sorry,” and then he realizes. “You’re Bodhi! Bodhi Rook!”

Bodhi grimaces and says, “Yeah. The pilot. I’m the pilot. Bodhi.” His eyes unfocus for a second and then he blinks at Luke. “Sorry. I’m in your way, I’ll just--”

“No!” Luke grabs Bodhi’s elbow and then lets go when Bodhi’s gaze slides nervously down. “I mean, please.”

“I think there’s a whole base back there who’d like to give you drinks and probably whatever else you want,” Bodhi says, soft and gentle, not quite like how Luke would have imagined.

“Oh, them,” Luke says and shrugs. “I don’t really even know anyone but Han and Leia. Besides, they’d all give you drinks and… and whatever else, too.”

Or maybe not. The Rebellion seems to be giving Bodhi a wide berth, like they’re a little bit in awe, maybe.

Maybe they just don’t know how to treat him. Bodhi’s the reason any of them are still breathing, the only survivor of his entire team. To be honest, _Luke_ doesn’t know how to treat him. He’s only gotten the story in bits and pieces from Leia and Wedge, mostly, but he knows enough to think that Bodhi is probably the bravest person he’s ever met.

“I don’t like the crowd,” Bodhi says, his eyes darting anxiously from Luke’s face to behind him and then back to his face again.

Everyone he went down to Scarif with died, Luke remembers. He defected from the Empire. He is as much an outsider here as Luke is, perhaps even more so.

“I have an idea,” Luke says. “If you don’t mind?”

He half-expects Bodhi to refuse him but instead Bodhi says, “Okay.”

Luke’s smile feels relieved. He leads Bodhi off, farther from the celebration and the commotion. “Oh! I’m Luke. I guess you knew that? But anyway, I’m Luke. Luke Skywalker.”

“Yeah, I knew that,” Bodhi says, but he returns Luke’s smile. “Nice to meet you, Luke.”

“Same. I mean, actually it’s an honor. Really. What you did…” Luke trails off.

Bodhi’s shoulders are hunched, like he wants to make himself appear smaller than he is. “Wasn’t me. Just carried the message. The others, they…” He swallows. “And you, you blew up the Death Star. You’re the hero.”

“All I did was take a lucky shot. You’re the reason I was able to take it.”

Bodhi still seems unconvinced, not to mention uncomfortable, so Luke lets it be. They’re at the _Falcon_ now anyway, the ship looming large on the tarmac. She’s still a hunk of junk but Luke’s becoming fond of her all the same.

“This is Han’s ship,” Luke explains. “He’ll still be out, and Chewie, too, so… it’ll be quiet. If you want.”

“I do,” Bodhi says, the gratitude on his face evident.

It makes this warm little swell of feeling grow in Luke’s chest though he isn’t exactly sure why. Helping Bodhi seems important somehow, and it distracts him from thinking about his own losses.

Inside the ship they sit at the small round table where Luke had settled after Ben… But he isn’t thinking about that.

Now that they’re here, alone, where it’s quiet, Luke doesn’t know what he should say. What do you say to someone who’s saved your life, who’s saved the lives of everyone on this whole moon, who looks so brittle that he might break? Who has just been through hell and lost everyone he knew?

Luke wonders if Bodhi has family somewhere. That would be something. He wonders what Bodhi’s homeworld is but isn’t sure he has the right to ask. Bodhi doesn’t even know him.

“You’re a good pilot,” Bodhi says, and Luke turns to him in surprise.

“Yeah, I mean, I always liked to think that was true. I love flying. Sometimes it felt like the only escape I had back on Tatooine, going up in the skyhopper and just…” Luke trails off but he thinks Bodhi understands what he means.

“It’s like being free,” Bodhi says, and yeah, Luke thinks, he gets it.

Then Luke destroys their companionability because he never did know when to keep his mouth shut, as Uncle Owen often lamented. “Why did you leave the Empire?”

Bodhi blinks at him, that glazed look settling in again for a moment, but his expression clears and he says, “Galen, Galen Erso, he told me I could do the right thing. I wanted to do the right thing.”

“You saved a lot of lives.” The words feel inadequate but Luke doesn’t know what else to say.

Biggs was better at this, at listening, at knowing what to say, but Luke doesn’t like thinking about that because when he does he feels sick, he feels like he wants to throw up. He remembers how it had felt, being in Biggs’ arms again after so long, remembers his wide smile; he thinks about how he’ll never get to tell Biggs any of his stories ever again and Biggs will never get to tell Luke any of his.

Biggs won’t even _have_ any more stories. Just like Aunt Beru, like Uncle Owen, like Ben. Like all the brave rebels on Scarif.

Now there’s only Bodhi. And Luke himself, he supposes.

He wants to _do_ something. On Tatooine it had felt like a game. He had just wanted to get away.

But Biggs died because he believed in the Rebellion. Luke wants to honor him. He wants to honor the memory of Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, who did nothing but love him, who did nothing wrong except buy a couple of droids the Empire wanted.

The Death Star is gone but the Empire isn’t. Luke wants to do the right thing.

“I think,” Luke says, and he touches the back of Bodhi’s hand. Bodhi trembles but lets Luke’s fingers rest there. “I think the Rebellion could use someone like you, someone who wants to do the right thing, who isn’t afraid to risk themselves to do it.”

“I am afraid,” Bodhi says softly and he won’t meet Luke’s eyes.

“But you went down to Scarif anyway. I think that’s the only part that matters. I…” Luke hesitates. “I didn’t really know what I was getting into, coming here. But when Biggs… My friend, he was in Red Squadron, and he… he died, and then I knew, I knew it was real, and I was scared, too. But the Empire, this fight, it’s bigger than all that. You don’t owe anyone anything anymore. If you left now no one could say a word. But you can still do good, if you want to.”

Luke falls silent, certain that he must be rambling like an idiot. He doesn’t even know what he’s saying. He wishes Biggs were here. Ben, anyone.

Maybe he should have left the speeches for Leia. She’s probably good at the inspiration thing.

Bodhi turns his hand over so he’s lightly gripping Luke’s palm. “Galen told me I should follow my heart.”

“Yeah?” Luke doesn’t know why his mouth feels so dry. “So what does your heart tell you to do?”

After a moment, Bodhi smiles again, small but so very real. “That maybe I can still be worth something here, and I think I’d like to find out.”

Luke can’t help the grin that spread across his face and he squeezes Bodhi’s hand. “In the meantime, I know Han’s got brandy on this ship.”

For just the flash of a moment, Bodhi’s face shines like the suns on Tatooine.


End file.
